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Showing posts with label History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History. Show all posts

10.8.12

Newly discovered fossils of 'Homo rudolfensis' suggest 'Early man was not alone'




In general, all non-australopithecine remains from Olduvai Gorge have been assigned to Homo habilis, whereas those from Lake Turkana are attributed to either Homo habilis or Homo rudolfensis.

The type specimen of Homo rudolfensis is Skull 1470 (KNM-ER 1470) found by Bernard Ngeneo at Koobi Fora* in 1972, on the eastern shore of Lake Rudolf, now Lake Turkana, in northwestern Kenya (Leakey et al. 1973). He was working at the time with a group led by Richard and Meave Leakey. The specimen has an age of at least 1.89 million years, although it was initially assigned a far earlier date in error — 3 mya, at the time earlier than any australopithecines known. The result was a storm of debate.




Since it was found 45 m below the KBS tuff, which is known to date to 1.89 mya, the skull may be significantly older than the tuff itself. Conceivably, it could date back to as early as 2.5 mya, which would make it contemporary with the earliest H. habilis specimens. There is no postcranial material known. Nor has much been ascertained about the diet of this hominid on the basis of tooth wear due to the paucity of available fossil remains.

Originally, Skull 1470 was described as Homo habilis, and was first assigned to a newly erected Homo rudolfensis only in 1986. This arrangement has seen increasing favor, but in the last few years some researchers have asserted that 1470 is similar to the more recently discovered fossil KNM-WT 40000, Kenyanthropus platyops (Leakey et al. 2001), and that it should be reclassified as such. However, other specimens, mostly mandibles, have been tentatively assigned to Homo rudolfensis (see table at right). Moreover, it has been questioned whether Kenyanthropus platyops is actually distinct from the contemporaneous Australopithecus afarensis.




Initially, the cranial capacity of KNM-ER 1470 (which stands for Kenya National Museum-East Rudolf) was estimated at 752 cc. But Bromage et al. (2008) reevaluated the skull and moderately reduced the brain-size estimate to 700 cc.

Many paleoanthropologists still do not accept Homo rudolfensis as a valid, distinct type of hominid. Is it, or isn't it? That no doubt will remain the question for some time to come!



29.3.12

Google and Historypin launch online gallery to celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

 
Pinning queens history

Pinning The Queen’s History is a special Collection that acts as a global archive of Her Majesty’s visits and the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations. It has been created to mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
 


It is a way for users from all over the world and from every generation to share photographs, videos, other materials and memories of The Queen's visits and the Jubilee celebrations from throughout her reign.
 
Buckingham Palace has already provided a selection of images of items from the Royal Archives, plus there have been contributions from a number of other major archives. Now we’re looking for contributions from individuals and archives.
 

Throughout her six decades on the throne, The Queen has undertaken hundreds of visits around the United Kingdom and 261 official overseas visits to 116 different countries. Historypin is inviting people from around the world to submit photos, videos and other memories of The Queen during these visits.
 
So if you've got photos, videos or memories of Her Majesty visiting your town or documenting your own royal celebrations, do add them in here.
 
We want to get pins in the map for all Her Majesty's visits and Jubilee celebrations, dating back to 1952, when the idea of an online archive like this, contributed to and seen by anyone in the world, would have been completely unimaginable.
 
Pinning The Queen's History was developed by Historypin, with support from Google. 
 

Here is what I have pinned:

A collection of photos which took on the occasion of Queen’s visit to MGR Film city, Chennai on the  inauguration of the film ‘Marudhanayagam’ – an unfinished dream venture of Kamal Haassan dated 16th, October, 1997

Queen’s visit to MGR Film city, Chennai

History Pin - Pin your history to the world

Historypin is a way for millions of people to come together, from across different generations, cultures and places, to share small glimpses of the past and to build up the huge story of human history.
Everyone has history to share: whether its sitting in yellowed albums in the attic, collected in piles of crackly tapes, conserved in the 1000s of archives all over the world or passed down in memories and old stories.
Each of these pieces of history finds a home on Historypin, where everyone has the chance to see it, add to it, learn from it, debate it and use it to build up a more complete understanding of the world.
A vibrant Cambridge Market in the 1900's
A vibrant Cambridge Market in the 1900's
and
today with several marquees in place
Cambridge Market

Historypin was created to help people to come together from across different generations, cultures and places, around the history of their families and neighbourhoods, improving personal relations and building stronger communities.
Historypin was founded by Oxford graduate and former teacher Nick Stanhope, CEO of London-based 'We Are What We Do', a non-profit company created in 2010.

Historypin has been developed by the not-for-profit company, in partnership with Google.
Search result for "Bangalore"
Everyone has history to share: whether its sitting in yellowed albums in the attic, collected in piles of crackly tapes, conserved in the 1000s of archives all over the world or passed down in memories and old stories.

Each of these pieces of history finds a home on Historypin, where everyone has the chance to see it, add to it, learn from it, debate it and use it to build up a more complete understanding of the world.
A Closer look
The website is the main focus of the whole operation, alongside it an app has been released for iPhone and Android phones, already downloaded 270,000 times, and several projects to work in communities and schools have been set up.
The app also allows users to add content in a few different ways - to take modern replicas of historical images, capture modern historical moments as they are happening, and scan and upload old images.
MG Road, Bangalore
The local projects take participation directly into neighbourhoods to broad, diverse audiences and facilitates the creation of community collections through outreach, support and lots of local partnerships.
You too can Pin your memories..
It's easy for people to use, all you need to do is Digitise your images, collect information, the more details you can find the better, upload it and pin it.
See what I've pinned on Historypin

29.2.12

Ancient Idol of Lord Vishnu found during excavation in Russia



MOSCOW: An ancient Vishnu idol has been found duringexcavation in an old village in Russia’s Volga region, raising questions about the prevalent view on the origin of ancient Russia. The idol found in Staraya (old) Mainavillage dates back to VII-X century AD. Staraya Mainavillage in Ulyanovsk region was a highly populated city 1700 years ago, much older than Kiev, so far believed to be the mother of all Russian cities.
“We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research,” Reader of Ulyanovsk State University’s archaeology department Dr Alexander Kozhevin told state-run television Vesti .
Dr Kozhevin, who has been conducting excavation in Staraya Maina for last seven years, said that every single square metre of the surroundings of the ancient town situated on the banks of Samara, a tributary of Volga, is studded with antiques.
Prior to unearthing of the Vishnu idol, Dr Kozhevin has already found ancient coins, pendants, rings and fragments of weapons.
He believes that today’s Staraya Maina, a town of eight thousand, was ten times more populated in the ancient times. It is from here that people started moving to the Don and Dneiper rivers around the time ancient Russy built the city of Kiev, now the capital of Ukraine. An international conference is being organised later this year to study the legacy of the ancient village, which can radically change the history of ancient Russia.
Some Conclusions by others:
The discovery of an ancient Vishnu idol in an excavation in Russia only confirms certain ideas I have always had about the Vedic ancient and glorious land and culture.
The report says that the area in which the idol was found is called Staraya Maina. In the Rig Veda, there is a passage that goes, Itham ascati pasyat syantham, ekam starayath mainaa-kaalam. This translates into Staraya Maina is the name of the land of the 45 rivers (on whose banks the noble Rishis conducted the famous Horse Sacrifices), where the sun god descends into one fifty two forty seven. While the first line identifies a location, the second line talks about the exact latitude and longitude at which the solar spectrum produces interference lines at one, fifty two, and forty seven.
The extreme precision of the calculations show the advanced science of the Vedic period, and also a thorough knowledge of SI units (it has been conclusively proven that French scientists stole the system from the Indians.
The discovery of the idol confirms the location in Russia, identified in the Rig Veda as rus soviath sapthamahanagaratham (the ancient and holy land of the 722 flying vehicles). The ancient connections between the Russians and the Indians has been unequivocally confirmed. In Russian orthodox Christianity, worship is conducted very much like in Vishnu temples. The Russians refer to the feast of Vizhnyir Ekoratsya Vikhunh, directly corresponding with Vaikhunda Ekhadasi.
The Russian language also owes a lot to Sanskrit, whose origins 50,000 years ago roughly correspond with the language of the people of the Smritzyi archaeological site, along the banks of the now-dried up Vernstokhlin (Varnasatyakhalini) river system.
It is common knowledge in the archaeological community that the Parashurama Sutra, the basis of all government policy in the erstwhile Kerala kingdom of Vaazhappazhaa, contains the lines Sthulyam Kaamyunishancha kalanam brighahaha. The links between the ancient Russians and Indians almost certainly aided by the 60,00 odd scholars of the University of Vexalate (Sk. Vekhshalatha, Ru. Vekholotsla), in modern-day Central Afghanistan, in the 17th Century BCE, is said to have transferred political ideas through the land of the Vanga (Ru. Vangnya) in modern-day West Bengal.

The Vishnu idol is depicted with a hammer in one left hand while the deconglated seventh arm on the right side holds a reticulated sickle. This hammer and sickle imagery is also found in the Parashurama Sutra, conclusively placing the origin of great and popular Russian political ideology in Vedic India.
The Bringdunthaladeena Upanishad also mentions Kaamyunishcham in its list of land sacrifices, where under the directions of the King, all the land in the country was donated to the performance of sacrifices where Brahmins continuously tickled horny silk-rats (Gandharvamooshicam) until they collapsed in orgiastic exhaustion. The text also clearly identifies a group of scholars referred to as the Paalita Buryam, who oversaw the functioning of the King.
For years, western historical study dominated by Greco-Capitalists, has sought to undermine the Vedic Indian contributions to what came to be 19th and 20th Century world politics. The Greco-Capitalists also attributed the ideology of Communism to the work done by Karl Marx, one of their own. It has been well documented that Marx indeed visited Kerala and West Bengal, and had thorough understanding of the Parashurama Sutra, a copy of which he picked up in the old-book-stall near the Cochin airport. Later on, as part of the larger Greco-centric Capitalist conspiracy, Marx took all the credit himself.
In 1952 in Soviet Russia, an archaeologist, Prof. Varely Smirzkoff of Odessa University found artefacts near the ancient Belarussian town of Kozhikodz. He was the first to speculate that the ruling political ideology of his country could well have had its origins in Vedic India rather than Modern Europe. Stalin funded Smirzkoff’s research until Smirrzkoff was suddenly found to have stolen over 500,000 paper clips from work over the course of his tenure at Odessa University. He was sent to Siberia, and with him went almost all academic proof that would have certainly brought Russia and India closer together.
This recent discovery should resurrect the pioneering work started by Prof. Varely Smirzkoff, who died of Contracted Poloniumitis of the nose, in 1964.

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26.2.12

Pakistan demolishing the house of Osama bin Laden

Hideout of Osama bin Laden
Pakistan government on Saturday (25/02/2012) started demolishing the house in Abbottabad where Osama bin Laden lived and died last May during a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs.


An Abbottabad resident said Two bulldozers working under floodlight completed the demolition shortly before midnight.
Local residents and media are seen outside the house where Osama bin Laden was caught and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011.


After the raid that killed bin Laden, Pakistan was left with a choice of whether to demolish the house or to manage it as a tourist attraction.


Immediately after the midnight raid that killed bin Laden, hundreds of local tourists came to look at the house in Abbottabad, a pleasant town ringed by Himalayan foothills about 30 miles northeast of Islamabad, and to collect parts of the downed U.S. Black Hawk that crashed during the sortie.
But soon afterward, Pakistan's military intelligence posted operatives in the area around the clock to stop journalists and tourists from getting close to the house.
The compound, which was largely hidden behind a large perimeter wall, was an embarrassment for the Pakistan government. It was located in an area of similar houses, bounded by fields of rice and other crops, only a few miles from Pakistan's premier military academy and in a garrison town thick with retired military personnel.


The location of the house raised questions among U.S. officials about how bin Laden was able to live there for five years without raising suspicions. Until now, however, the U.S. has stated it has found no evidence that Pakistan's military or government helped shelter the former al Qaeda leader.


Pakistan's military was humiliated by the unilateral U.S. raid on its territory, of which it was given no forewarning. The army's leaders perhaps also saw the house as an unwanted reminder of an event which hurt its image with many Pakistanis.


Immediately after the raid, local officials were split on what to do with the house. Some local government officials said they hoped it would become a permanent attraction and help bring more tourists through the town, which relies largely on a large military presence to drive its economy. Other locals at the time said it should be destroyed to end any association between Abbottabad and bin Laden.


While opinion polls show most Pakistanis are now opposed to al Qaeda, which in recent years has launched a number of strikes against Pakistan government, military and civilian targets, some people in Pakistan still admire bin Laden for his role in fighting Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s and for attacking the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Osama bin Laden
In the end, the decision to demolish the house was likely taken by Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence directorate military spy agency.

The house legally belonged to a Pakistani man who worked as bin Laden's courier and was killed along with his brother in the raid.


Land records showed a man believed to be the courier purchased land for the house from four sellers for a total of around $50,000 in 2004 and 2005.


Local property dealers valued the compound, which included a three-story whitewashed house with a garden and a large connected area for grazing animals, at around $300,000.
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17.2.12

British Prisoner of War embroidered the Nazis with hidden morse code messages

Embroidered Morse Code

           A PATRIOTIC British Prisoner of War played a trick on his German captors by giving them a piece of needlework with "God Save the King" and "F*** Hitler" embroidered into it.

But the Nazis never spotted the cunning soldier's blast — because it was crafted in MORSE CODE. 

And they were so pleased with the needlework that they put it on public display at the castle where the brave Brit was locked up. 
Clever Major Alexis Casdagli was imprisoned by the Germans for four years during World War Two, and passed the long hours by sewing. 
The main message on his gift to the Nazis reads: "This work was done by Major A. Casdagli. No 3311. While in captivity at Dossel-Warbung Germany December 1941". 
But outside the border of swastikas, Imperial Eagles and hammer and sickles, Casdagli hid a dig at the fascists with a patriotic message disguised as an innocent pattern of dots. 
Resources were so scarce that the design had to be created using red and blue thread from a Cretan general's sweater. 

Major Alexis Casdagli

The embroidery was recently reunited with Casdagli's son Tony after being displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Tony, 79, explained: "My father always said that the Red Cross packages he received kept him alive, but the sewing kept him sane.
"He was captured at the Battle of Crete and marched up Greece for six weeks before being flown to north Germany.
"Having run a textiles company before the war he knew a little about sewing, so when he was given a canvas by another prisoner he started stitching for something to do."
Casdagli even sent Tony, then 11, a stitched letter through the post, saying: "It is 1,581 days since I saw you last but it will not be long now.
"Do you remember when I fell down the well? Look after Mummy till I get home again." 

And while Union Jack flags were forbidden in the camp, Casdagli simply sewed one with a flap over it to get around the German rules.
Retired Royal Navy officer Tony explained: "Each week the same officer would open the flap and say, 'This is illegal,' and Pa said, 'You're showing it, I'm not showing it.'"
After the war Casdagli joined a British mission to Greece during the civil war, and later started a perspex factory in London.
He kept up his sewing until his death in 1990, aged 90.

21.7.10

The Greatest of World in India

ARYABHATT

(476 CE)
MASTER ASTRONOMER AND MATHEMATICIAN
Born in 476 CE in Kusumpur ( Bihar ), Aryabhatt's intellectual brilliance remapped the boundaries of mathematics and astronomy. In 499 CE, at the age of 23, he wrote a text on astronomy and an unparallel treatise on mathematics called "Aryabhatiyam." He formulated the process of calculating the motion of planets and the time of eclipses. Aryabhatt was the first to proclaim that the earth is round, it rotates on its axis, orbits the sun and is suspended in space - 1000 years before Copernicus published his heliocentric theory. He is also acknowledged for calculating p (Pi) to four decimal places: 3.1416 and the sine table in trigonometry. Centuries later, in 825 CE, the Arab mathematician, Mohammed Ibna Musa credited the value of Pi to the Indians, "This value has been given by the Hindus." And above all, his most spectacular contribution was the concept of zero without which modern computer technology would have been non-existent. Aryabhatt was a colossus in the field of mathematics.




BHASKARACHARYA II
(1114-1183 CE)


GENIUS IN ALGEBRA
Born in the obscure village of Vijjadit (Jalgaon) in Maharastra, Bhaskaracharya' s work in Algebra, Arithmetic and Geometry catapulted him to fame and immortality. His renowned mathematical works called "Lilavati" and "Bijaganita" are considered to be unparalled and a memorial to his profound intelligence. Its translation in several languages of the world bear testimony to its eminence. In his treatise " Siddhant Shiromani " he writes on planetary positions, eclipses, cosmography, mathematical techniques and astronomical equipment. In the " Surya Siddhant " he makes a note on the force of gravity: "Objects fall on earth due to a force of attraction by the earth. Therefore, the earth, planets, constellations, moon, and sun are held in orbit due to this attraction." Bhaskaracharya was the first to discover gravity, 500 years before Sir Isaac Newton . He was the champion among mathematicians of ancient and medieval India . His works fired the imagination of Persian and European scholars, who through research on his works earned fame and popularity.


ACHARYA KANAD
(600 BCE)


FOUNDER OF ATOMIC THEORY
As the founder of " Vaisheshik Darshan "- one of six principal philosophies of India - Acharya Kanad was a genius in philosophy. He is believed to have been born in Prabhas Kshetra near Dwarika in Gujarat . He was the pioneer expounder of realism, law of causation and the atomic theory. He has classified all the objects of creation into nine elements, namely: earth, water, light, wind, ether, time, space, mind and soul. He says, "Every object of creation is made of atoms which in turn connect with each other to form molecules." His statement ushered in the Atomic Theory for the first time ever in the world, nearly 2500 years before John Dalton . Kanad has also described the dimension and motion of atoms and their chemical reactions with each other. The eminent historian, T.N. Colebrook , has said, "Compared to the scientists of Europe , Kanad and other Indian scientists were the global masters of this field."

NAGARJUNA 
(100 CE)


WIZARD OF CHEMICAL SCIENCE
He was an extraordinary wizard of science born in the nondescript village of Baluka in Madhya Pradesh . His dedicated research for twelve years produced maiden discoveries and inventions in the faculties of chemistry and metallurgy. Textual masterpieces like " Ras Ratnakar ," "Rashrudaya" and "Rasendramangal" are his renowned contributions to the science of chemistry. Where the medieval alchemists of England failed, Nagarjuna had discovered the alchemy of transmuting base metals into gold. As the author of medical books like "Arogyamanjari" and "Yogasar," he also made significant contributions to the field of curative medicine. Because of his profound scholarliness and versatile knowledge, he was appointed as Chancellor of the famous University of Nalanda . Nagarjuna's milestone discoveries impress and astonish the scientists of today. 





ACHARYA CHARAK

(600 BCE)


FATHER OF MEDICINE


Acharya Charak has been crowned as the Father of Medicine. His renowned work, the " Charak Samhita ", is considered as an encyclopedia of Ayurveda. His principles, diagoneses, and cures retain their potency and truth even after a couple of millennia. When the science of anatomy was confused with different theories in Europe , Acharya Charak revealed through his innate genius and enquiries the facts on human anatomy, embryology, pharmacology, blood circulation and diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis, heart disease, etc. In the " Charak Samhita " he has described the medicinal qualities and functions of 100,000 herbal plants. He has emphasized the influence of diet and activity on mind and body. He has proved the correlation of spirituality and physical health contributed greatly to diagnostic and curative sciences. He has also prescribed an ethical charter for medical practitioners two centuries prior to the Hippocratic oath. Through his genius and intuition, Acharya Charak made landmark contributions to Ayurveda. He forever remains etched in the annals of history as one of the greatest and noblest of rishi-scientists.





ACHARYA SUSHRUT
(600 BCE)



FATHER OF PLASTIC SURGERY


A genius who has been glowingly recognized in the annals of medical science. Born to sage Vishwamitra, Acharya Sudhrut details the first ever surgery procedures in " Sushrut Samhita ," a unique encyclopedia of surgery. He is venerated as the father of plastic surgery and the science of anesthesia. When surgery was in its infancy in Europe , Sushrut was performing Rhinoplasty (restoration of a damaged nose) and other challenging operations. In the " Sushrut Samhita ," he prescribes treatment for twelve types of fractures and six types of dislocations. His details on human embryology are simply amazing. Sushrut used 125 types of surgical instruments including scalpels, lancets, needles, Cathers and rectal speculums; mostly designed from the jaws of animals and birds. He has also described a number of stitching methods; the use of horse's hair as thread and fibers of bark.  In the " Sushrut Samhita ," he details 300 types of operations. The ancient Indians were the pioneers in amputation, caesarian and cranial surgeries. Acharya Sushrut was a giant in the arena of medical science. 



VARAHAMIHIR 
(499-587 CE)



EMINENT ASTROLOGER AND ASTRONOMERA


Renowned astrologer and astronomer who was honored with a special decoration and status as one of the nine gems in the court of King Vikramaditya in Avanti ( Ujjain ). Varahamihir' s book "panchsiddhant" holds a prominent place in the realm of astronomy. He notes that the moon and planets are lustrous not because of their own light but due to sunlight. In the " Bruhad Samhita " and " Bruhad Jatak ," he has revealed his discoveries in the domains of geography, constellation, science, botany and animal science. In his treatise on botanical science, Varamihir presents cures for various diseases afflicting plants and trees. The rishi-scientist survives through his unique contributions to the science of astrology and astronomy. 



ACHARYA PATANJALI 
(200 BCE)



FATHER OF YOGA


The Science of Yoga is one of several unique contributions of India to the world. It seeks to discover and realize the ultimate Reality through yogic practices. Acharya Patanjali , the founder, hailed from the district of Gonda (Ganara) in Uttar Pradesh . He prescribed the control of prana (life breath) as the means to control the body, mind and soul. This subsequently rewards one with good health and inner happiness. Acharya Patanjali 's 84 yogic postures effectively enhance the efficiency of the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, digestive and endocrine systems and many other organs of the body. Yoga has eight limbs where Acharya Patanjali shows the attainment of the ultimate bliss of God in samadhi through the disciplines of: yam, niyam, asan, pranayam, pratyahar, dhyan and dharna. The Science of Yoga has gained popularity because of its scientific approach and benefits. Yoga also holds the honored place as one of six philosophies in the Indian philosophical system. Acharya Patanjali will forever be remembered and revered as a pioneer in the science of self-discipline, happiness and self-realization. 



ACHARYA BHARADWAJ 
(800 BCE)



PIONEER OF AVIATION TECHNOLOGY


Acharya Bharadwaj had a hermitage in the holy city of Prayag and was an ordent apostle of Ayurveda and mechanical sciences. He authored the " Yantra Sarvasva " which includes astonishing and outstanding discoveries in aviation science, space science and flying machines. He has described three categories of flying machines: 1.) One that flies on earth from one place to another. 2.) One that travels from one planet to another. 3.) And One that travels from one universe to another. His designs and descriptions have impressed and amazed aviation engineers of today. His brilliance in aviation technology is further reflected through techniques described by him:



1.) Profound Secret: The technique to make a flying machine invisible through the application of sunlight and wind force.



2.) Living Secret: The technique to make an invisible space machine visible through the application of electrical force.



3.) Secret of Eavesdropping: The technique to listen to a conversation in another plane.



4.) Visual Secrets: The technique to see what's happening inside another plane.



Through his innovative and brilliant discoveries, Acharya Bharadwaj has been recognized as the pioneer of aviation technology.






ACHARYA KAPIL 
(3000 BCE)



FATHER OF COSMOLOGY


Celebrated as the founder of Sankhya philosophy, Acharya Kapil is believed to have been born in 3000 BCE to the illustrious sage Kardam and Devhuti. He gifted the world with the Sankhya School of Thought. His pioneering work threw light on the nature and principles of the ultimate Soul (Purusha), primal matter (Prakruti) and creation. His concept of transformation of energy and profound commentaries on atma, non-atma and the subtle elements of the cosmos places him in an elite class of master achievers - incomparable to the discoveries of other cosmologists. On his assertion that Prakruti, with the inspiration of Purusha, is the mother of cosmic creation and all energies, he contributed a new chapter in the science of cosmology. Because of his extrasensory observations and revelations on the secrets of creation, he is recognized and saluted as the Father of Cosmology.